Poison brew kills 22 in Estonia

TALLINN, Estonia -- Twenty-two people have died and 33 are in hospital after drinking a deadly homemade liquor apparently laced with poisonous methyl alcohol.

Most of the victims are thought to have consumed the tainted alcohol on Saturday and Sunday in and around Parnu, 125 kilometers (75 miles) south of the capital, Tallinn, in the ex-Soviet republic.

The death toll had risen from 15 earlier on Monday. Those in hospital are believed to be in a serious condition.

A police statement said people suffering from methyl alcohol poisoning had begun arriving at hospitals in the area on Sunday.

Nine were flown by helicopter to hospitals in Tallinn and another city, Tartu.

Police spokesman Indrek Raudjalg told The Associated Press that the alcohol was thought to have been purchased from the same illegal source, but at different times in recent days.

Most of the victims had been looking for cheaper alcohol, although he said the toxicity probably occurred inadvertently during the distilling process.

"We don't think those making these spirits wanted to kill their clients. It was probably a mistake, but that's something being investigated," said Raudjalg, adding that tests were being run on samples to verify the lethal ingredient.

Estonian government spokesman Priit Poiklik urged anybody who still had the bootleg alcohol not to drink it and to hand it in to the authorities.

"The incident is of course deplorable. It shows we should boost our efforts to fight bootleg alcohol," he told Reuters.

Four people suspected of making and selling the homemade brew have been detained for questioning.

Police also said they had seized counterfeit alcohol and discovered a suspected illegal bottling operation.

Steep rises in the cost of alcohol have driven many Estonians to search for cheaper options.

Methyl alcohol, or methanol, which is an ingredient in antifreeze, is highly poisonous if consumed, causing blindness and death.